Self-lubricating bearing.



' a sans LnIen sQ nnonn, or MIDnLnsEx sonoueii NEW ennemi, Assienon To BOUND Bnoox OIL-nnss BEARING comm, n oonromriou or NEW JERSEY.

-SEL'FQ'LUBBICATING BEARING.

.Y To aZZ/wkom 't/filing 'concer-1a.?

is@k a imown that I; Lewes. Bie a,

citizen of the United '-States`," i`-esiding ether-Ll vouglroi Middlesex, inthe'eounty of Mid- Vdleseii "and State of. NewJeI-s'ey, have.' 1nvented new and useful improvements in Self-Lubricating Bearings, of which the foli lowing is f a specific-ation.

My ypresent ments in bearings', and ,more especially/'tof thosek in' the form of bushings or sleeves' v adapted` to be interposed between relatively .movable partsof 'machinery-f and the like..

constructed in a n ovel way to afford pockets. j'

The primary object ofthe invention is t'o,

provide a bearingof this character which'is v to contain graphite orother suitable lubri cant for rendering .the bearing self1ubri cat-ing'. According to the present invention,

the bushing or sleeve iskv so constructed-that the lubricant-containing pockets' .are so disy tribute the lubricant are so arranged'inthe j bushing thatthe latter is not weakened to an extent that would permitdistm'tiouv pr breakage of the .bushing under Vany'loadl within thecapacity for Which-the bushingv isdesigned.'

These features of vthe invention render it particularly applicable to bushings invention are capa le 'of u'se m machinery or `in places, Where it, is necessary to support which arev employed between parts which have'only a small degree of relative rotation or a. rockingaetion las, for example,

'occurs between springs and shackles on automobiles or othervehicleswhere the loadisv reat but .the relative' rotation betweenv the bushing and its coperating part or parts is comparatively smal1 .f- Bushings., embodyy. Ing the present invention may` be used advantageously wherethre is relative move- Inent between the'bushing and an inner pocketsr serv-ing invention'relates toiinprovel =proved vmethod?.'of"making the selflubricat shaftgstud or; journal; I: or Where there; is

relative' 4rotation:between\ the bushingv and I vsi,efniieauni f Internisten. Patented May 14, 1918; Appunti@ inea sprn'iaisie. snaimsasss;

al1-outerbearing' member," onhousing, or

ber for-housing he; lubricantcontaining.

gto.- lubricateboththe inner. vand thehouter 'surfaces of thebushing.

" Thegpres'e'nt invention'falso provides an iml in -bushingas'vvill hereinafter; appear. o theseI 'and ot h x a rlends,y the-invention consists in certain?v Improvementsfand com;A I'binations" andarrangemeutsof parts',v alltas `will be hereinaftermor'e fully-describe@ the novel `features being Apointed out particu soV citiox. nt e-aecompanying 'awingz-,- Figure lv shows ya half of a'mold, and a bodying the present invention.

core therein, adapted to Vcast afbushing em- Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view. 4shouting i method of forcing the lubricantinto 'the 'I l pockets of the bushing.

Fig. -3 is va perspective view" of the ifin- A F gt4 is an end view o f'the core'fshovvn -v throughthe ushing as itis cast and prior to the introduction. of the lubricant and the inishingof the bushing. Fig. V6` represents a transverse section 'n reference c araeters in the severa views.

Bearingbushin s embodying the present relatively movable 'or rotatable parts. The

' hroughf the finished llubricant-containing Simi ar arts Iare designated ,the same .i

bushing is shown in its preferred form in the i present instance; but it is to be understood that equivalent constructions Within the 4scope of the claims are contemplatedand willv be included as Within the invention.

The preferred method 'of producing. the

bushing will also be'hereinafter described; but itis to be understood that the invention inold halves'being shown and designated l in Fig. l. The chamber Zot the mold has a size and forni corresponding to the desired diniensions of the bushing prior to the finishing thereof, Aand a core is used in the casting operation which preferably forms the bore in the. bushing and also the pockets or cavities to receive the lubricant. Preferably, the core comprises a cylindrical body 3, tue ends of which support and position it properly within the mold, and projections on the body of the core serve to form the lubricant-receiving pockets in the bushing. As shown, a'set of tour ribs are provided on the exterior of the core. These ribs, as shown, are spacedY equidistantly around the core and they terminate at points near the ends of the mold chauiber. These ribs extend diagonally of the axis of theY core, or in other Words, they have a helical pitch, but the pitch is such that each rib extends but part vWay around the core. A series of proj ectious 5 are provided on the body of the core in t'he space between each pair of ribs, there being, in the present instance, live of the projections spaced' longitudinally of the core. The projections on the core are preferably of a length suliicient to bring the outer ends ot' these projections into contact with the interior wall of the mold, Whereas the ribs are shalloiver and leave `a space between their outer edges and the inner Wall ot the mold. rhe bushing is cast in the mold containing the core described, and when cast, the bushing Will have its inner bore and its outer surface shaped in conformity fith the cylindrical body ot' 'thecore and the interior chamber of the mold. 'The cast vbushing will also have grooves 6 cust therein as counterparts ot the ribs si on the core and perforations 7 as counterparts of the projections 5 of the core. The perforations T- in the cast bushing will, however, extend entirely' through the wall ofthe bushing ivhile the grooves 6 .vill not praictratc jthe outer surfaceof thek bushing but will be closed by relatively thin bodies of metal 8. The bushing may be castfrom' any suitable metal or material, bronze being generally used. A

The bushing after having been cast in the Iiorin ust described is in condition to re ceivc the lulnfcant.v Graphite or a graphite conipmlnd generally used for this purpose, and. lo is ijircterable to torce the graphite into the pockets or cavities elf the bushing under web pressure as to coragrmct the lubricant in tno pf 'l-rets to such `adegree as to render the lubricant substantially solid anl suii'iciently'hard to retain it in the pockets a permanent part of the bushing. The graphite or lubr' vant is introduced into the interior bore of the bustling and is'then cour pressed and forced tirinly into the pocln 1, or cavities of the bushing by a plunger operated by a hydraulic or other suitable press. F ig. 2 shows the cast bushiiria placed in a compression chamber 9, a plunger 9 being arranged to enter and move axially into the bore of the bushing after the latter has been filled with kthe lubricant, the plunger coinpressing the lubricant and forcing the same outwardly and into the various pockets or cavities formed by the grooves and the perforations. A considerable force is applied to the plunger 9a during this operation, and in consequence, the lubricant Within the bushing is subjected to a heavy compression. This compression ot' the lubricant within the bushing exerts an expansive tendency upon the bushing, but this expansive action is sustained by the bushing Without distortion thereof, owing to the fact that the metal at this stage in the manufacture of the bushing bridges the groves 6 and hence provides a substantially continuous periphery,

the continuity ot' the periphery of the bushing being interrupted only by the relatively small perforations which, however, do not materially' diminish the ability of the buslr ing to sustain the pressure Within the bushing which acts to expand it, Whereas should the grooves 6 entend entirely through the livall of the bushing at the time the lubricant is Vforced into the bushing, there would be a tendency for the bushing to bulge out- `aardly under the expansive tendency et the internal pressure ot the lubricant. The ad- Y vantageol this inode ot' procedure is that the bore of the bushing rein-anis uniform and the exterior diameter of the bushing remains unchanged, or substantially so, thus enabling the bushing to be cast very closely `to the size the I'inished bushing is to have, and a niinunun'i amount of materialy will have to be removed in i'inishiug the bushing.

After the lubricant has been introduced into the ribs and periiorations in the bushing, the bushing is finished turning it down. to its proper outside tiliaineter` this operation removing the metal which previously bridged the grooves (i, thus exposing the graphite or` lubricant in these grooves Well as the graphite orluluicantin the perforations T. Also, it desirable or necessary, the interior bore of the bushing may be teamed to the proper size. The finished bushing will then contain. strips of graphite or solid lubricant l0 in the grooves 6' and studs oi' graphite or lubricant ll in the perorations 7.

lt is preferable hat the lubricant-contaiir ti l.

1,eee,ssi

ing grooves 6 should each extend from a point near one end of the bushing to a point near the opposite end thereof in order that the lubricant in these grooves will be disof the bushing but will leave continuous or uninterrupted portions at the'endsoi the fill bushing. lt is also preferable to arrange the lubricanf-containing grooves 6 at equidistantly spaced intervals around the surface of the bushing. The lubricant-containing y grooves and perforations are -so disposed that vthe lubricant in at least one, groove or in at least one perforation Will be presented to the line on which the load is sustained by Athe bushing, irrespective of Where the load may come on the bushing. ln the bushing shown, the lubricant 10 in one of the grooves t 6 or the lubricant 1l in one of the perforations 7 may be presented to the line on which the load conies'on the bushing with respect to both the innner and exterior surfaces of the bushing, and yet the :metal of the bushing will be presented to the cooperating part which sustains Ithe load to the full length of the bushing, `excepting the relatively small area occupied either by 4the diagonal section of the lubricant strip 10 or the section of lubricant ll in one of the perforations "1. in the preferred embodiment of 'the invention, each lubricant-containing "groove 6 has such a pitch that its ends fare substantially in alinement'vvith the luioricant bodies l1 at the opposite or eXtreme ends, respectively, oi' the adjacent rows, the l row 'of lubricant' bodies l1 being preferably spaced on lineshaving a, pitch correspond-- ing to they pitch ci' the grooves 6. Of course, it will het understood that the number of lubrican' utf/lining grooves and/perfooflfthe beu rli'gsas may be desired, and also ltluet the shapes of these 'grooves and perfo v rations may vary, elthough it 1s preferable thatzthe groves shall be relatively n :lrrcm rvand that -the'jperforetions shall haveI e yrelatively short ,length in a direction axially of the bushing or" sleeve. ln any case, hovvever,

l seme radial theend of any lubricanteontsininggroovey at one end ofthe bushing should bein the "blaue with or overlap a lubrin eant-conteinilig perforation of the adjacent "row atvthe ezzposilve end of the bushing, to the end that Ia portion of the lubricant will always be presented to that side of the bushing which sustains the lood, irrespective of where the lood may come on the bushing, and yet'a muniniuui extent of 'bearing surface of bushing will be presented on 'the line or the loud.

bviously, the lubricentcontaining pook etsinay be brnied in only the interior or only the exterior ci the bushing, es where the bushing is non-rotatable in relation to eried according to the sizes 'the housing or shaft respectively, the bushing shown vbeing adapted forY use 1n cases Where the Abushing is rotatable relatively to v the shaft or the housing, or both. tributed substantially throughout-the length v l claim as my invention:-

l. A bearing bushing having circumferentially spliced lubricant-containing grooves partially encircling it and extending through its Wall, and lubricant-containing pockets located in rows between said grooves.

2. A bearing bushing having circumferentially spaced lubricant-containing grooves partially encircling it, and series of lubrieut-ially spaced lubricant-containing grooves extendingentirely through the wall thereof, and a series of lubricant-containing pockets arranged between each pair of grooves, each end of each groove lying in a radial plane which overlaps the pockets of the respective adjacent series.

5. A bearing bushing having a plurality of cirouinferentially spaced lubricant-con taining grooves partially encircling it and` extending through the Wall thereof, and a series-of lubricant-containing pockets lo-` cated midway between adjacent grooves and extending-parallel there-With, portions of said grooves and series of pockets lying in' the saule radial plane,

6. A. bearing bushing having circumfen pertially encircling the bushing and eXtending through the Wall thereof from its inner lo itsouter surface, and a 'series of perforetions interposed between adjacent grooves and containing lubricant, said perorations extending through the Wall of the bushin from the outer te the inner-'surface thereo 7. LThe hereindescribed method of making a self-lubricating bearing bushing which Acomprises forming it sleeve with Grooves eX- tending partially through the Wall thereof,v

then forcing luhrioeint into seidgrooves, and line. ly removing material from the bushing to uncover Suid grooves, 'whereby the latter will extend entirely through wall of the bushing. l

8 The hereiudescribed method of" sel ic-lubricating beiiring bushiugvvhicli comrises forminga sleeve with grooves extending i Aru the interior thereof partially through veil ci the bushing, leuving the grooves 'entially spa-ceo lubricant-containing grooves covere 'by the material composing the bushin testimony whereof have hereuno set mg atthe outer surface, than fm1-mg Iubmmy nzuxd m presence of two subscmbmg cant lnto the 4Ult-emol' of th@ bushing to ll Wltnesses.

said grooves therewith and nally reducing LEIGH S. BACHE. 5 Jhe ouml dlamee' of the bushing to uncovel VVR-messes.'

13h13 lubrlcanbcontaumg grooves at the outer GEO. T. SBLLLEY,

Surface of the bushing. A "K4 SMITH. 

